[go to 2005]

December 20-21, Rafaela, Santa Fe: Nancy accompanied Bruce to Santa Fe, Argentina, where he signed the papers to sell a church property in the city of Rafaela. The church has moved to a more strategic location.

December 19, Buenos Aires: Bruce & Nancy present a full Christmas concert on two pianos at the Villa Mitre Baptist Church, where they are members. Originally planned to be an "outdoors" event, the threat of rain and gusty winds moved the program inside the church. Many visitors from the neighborhood and unchurched attended.

December 18, Waco TX: Daniel receives the MBA degree from Baylor University.

December 18, Buenos Aires: Home Bible study group in the Muskrats' home meet for a Christmas brunch.

December 2, Buenos Aires: Christmas dinner outreach event for professionals and businessmen/women. Bruce & Nancy provided the musical portion of the program, performing Christmas music on two pianos.

November 20, Buenos Aires: The Center for Missions and Worship held its closing recital (audición final) of the school year with student and faculty participation in voice, piano, guitar, and violin, in addition to choral and percussion ensembles.

November 15, Buenos Aires: The printed copies of the Argentine Mission's centennial history were finally delivered to the Mission Office. The books are available for $10 dollars each plus shipping costs.

November 12, Buenos Aires: The Muskrats' ocean freight finally arrived after multiple delays involving 3 different ships.

October 30, Joplin, MO: Grandpa Jim was stranded on his roof while cleaning out the rain gutters after the ladder which he had used to climb up to the roof fell down. He had to wait nearly 45 minutes until someone noticed his plight and replaced the ladder for him. He now knows to carry his cell phone with him!

October 22-24, Resistencia, Chaco: Bruce and Nancy drove 1,000 kilometers north to the Chaco province to participate in a recital related to a mission trip of 16 seminary students from Buenos Aires. Their participation on the program was both vocal and instrumental. In addition to each presenting solo numbers (Nancy - piano and violin; Bruce - sang German Lieder) they performed a number of duo-keyboard pieces using the Tecnics electronic piano and Korg keyboard. They were told that the program would begin at 8pm; when they arrived early to set up, they discovered that the time had been moved back to 9pm; and, when all was said and done, the program REALLY started about 10.10 pm!

October 19, Ft. Worth, TX: Amy started a new job at Senior Citizen Services of Greater Tarrant County.

October 17, Buenos Aires:  "muskrattracks.com" was rescued and set up on a commercial webserver after experiencing over a year of not being able to edit or update the online material.

October 8-12, Buenos Aires: 75th anniversary meeting of Argentine Baptist Women (formerly COMMEBA). Both Nancy and Bruce were scheduled to assist with the music but Bruce came down with a virus that put him in bed all weekend and Nancy ended up as sole accompanist. The Muskrats also participated in the 50th anniversary meeting in 1979!

September 25, Buenos Aires: The Villa Mitre Baptist Church had its annual Spring picnic.

September 13-16, Buenos Aires: Technical problems in the contracted sound system delayed the Muskrats' concert presentation during the seminary's annual Pastors' Conference. After Bruce was able to bypass the system's audio, they closed the session (at a rather LATE hour!) with their worship concert instead of at the beginning, as was originally planned.

August 31, Waco TX: Amy moves from Waco to Fort Worth and Bruce and Nancy get on the plane for their return flight to Argentina, concluding a 6-month stateside assignment.

August 15, Waco TX: The entire Muskrat family is featured as guest worship leaders in the televised morning worship service of the Columbus Avenue Baptist Church. Bruce had served as organist of the church 1969-1972. The family opened the service with a worship medley sung alternately in English and Spanish. Bruce and Nancy provided a piano-organ duet for the offertory, and the family sang again prior to the morning message.

August 14, Waco TX: Amy was graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work. 

August 8-14, Waco TX: Grandpa Jim along with Joshua and Nathan Orr (Bruce's nephews) visited with the Muskrats, enjoying video games along with trips to the Texas Ranger Museum, the Dr. Pepper Museum, etc. Bruce's sister and brother-in-law (Cendy and Taylor Orr) also arrived near the end of the visit to help Amy celebrate her college graduation.

August 8, Waco TX: Bruce and Nancy speak to the Adult "Chatauqua" Sunday School classes at Seventh & James Baptist Church, presenting their ministry and missionary experiences. 

August 4, Waco TX: Kelly Jensen, a Spanish professor at Samford University, dropped in for a brief visit with the Muskrats. She has made several trips to Argentina during recent years, researching her doctoral dissertation, gathering material for a book she is writing, and performing recitals as a solo handbell ringer.

July 31, Ft. Worth, TX: Bruce and Nancy traveled to Ft. Worth to attend the memorial service for Dr. Thurmon Bryant, former Area Director for Eastern South America (IMB). The Muskrats first met Dr. Bryant in 1978 during their time of language study in Costa Rica. Following the service, those Argentina missionaries present gathered at Braums' for fellowship (and ice cream!)! Those present were Ben and LaNell Bedford, Lloydene Balyeat, David Balyeat, James and Georgie Teel, Bruce and Nancy Muskrat, Mel and Susie Plunk, Barney and Clara Hutson, Glen and Rayella Johnson, Justice and MaryAnn Anderson, Don and Margie Mines, and Bob and Janie Garrett.

July 25-29, Waco, TX: Judy and Chuck Tumlinson, Christa and Mark (Nancy's sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew) visted the Muskrats from California. Tour venues included the Baylor "bear pit," The Texas Ranger Museum (which features one of Chuck's ancestors as one of the first Ranger "Captains"), and the Dr.Pepper Museum.

July 28, Ft. Worth: Bruce and Nancy, along with Budd and Cloe Smith, long-time friends dating back to Western Hills Baptist Church (1972-1977) had supper at one of their old "haunts": Mama's Pizza near TCU on Berry St. (You've not eaten pizza until you've had a 20" pepperoni at Mama's!)

July 21, Waco, TX: Bruce finally joins AARP online (just 6 years after the fact!)

July 18, San Angelo, TX: On the way back to Waco from Glorieta, NM, Bruce and Nancy visit with emeritus missionaries Mrs. Marceille Hollingsworth and Judson and Dorothy (Marceille's sister) Blair. All began missionary service in Argentina in the early 1950s. The Blairs transferred after one term to the Spanish Baptist Publishing House in El Paso, TX, from where they finally retired. Marceille and her late husband Tom were like foster grandparents to the Muskrats' three children. Danny, Sara, and Amy drove over from Waco for the "reunion" and all went out together for Sunday lunch.

July 12-17, Glorieta, NM: Bruce and Nancy represent the IMB at the Music Leadership Conference. In addition to teaching a daily class on Music Missions, manning the IMB table in the resource center, and assisting in a keyboard reading session, Nancy was asked to play one of her published piano hymn arrangements during one of the worship periods.

July 5, Crawford, TX: Danny Ray Bihl took Amy, Bruce, and Nancy, on a tour of his home town of Crawford and a drive-by of the Texas White House "ranch." During the Muskrats' 6-month stateside assignment in Waco, President George W. Bush made frequent visits to the ranch and local television stations would provide "live" coverage of his arrivals and departures from one of the local airports. This particular airport was where Bruce trained for and obtained his private pilot's licence in 1970.

July 4, Mart, TX: The Muskrat family led the morning worship service at First Baptist Church, Mart (located about 20 miles southeast of Waco). Andy serves as church pianist.

June 30, Ft. Worth, TX: As guests of long-time friends (Western Hills Baptist Church) Bob and Beverly Jones, Bruce and Nancy and Budd and Cloe Smith attended a summer jazz concert and picnic in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens.

June, Waco, TX: Danny and Sara purchase their first home!

June 26-28, Alexandria, VA/Washington, DC: Bruce and Nancy represent the IMB at the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference. A summary outline of the break-out session on music missions and the Muskrats' "Missionary Moment" presented to the Conference are both included in the 2004 SBCMC Journal. 

June 21-25, Ridgecrest, NC: Bruce and Nancy represent the IMB at the Music Leadership Conference. They taught a daily class on Music Missions and manned the IMB table in the resource center.

June 18-21, Cloverdale, VA: Bruce and Nancy spent the weekend with John and Mary Evelyn Divers, emeritus missionaries to Argentina. The Divers' children, Jeffrey, Ellen, and Betsy also came to visit. Week-end activities included a visit to the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA and a Sunday afternoon Lebanese cultural fair at a local church.

June 17, West, TX: Nancy accompanies Amy to one of the medication management seminars that she organized as part of her summer responsibilities with the Waco Senior Citizens Services.

June 13, Joplin, MO: Nancy and Bruce provided the program music for Mrs. Mary Helen Harutun's (their childhood piano teacher) 95th birthday party at Missouri Southern State University. 

May 27-31, Joplin, MO: The entire Muskrat family was in Joplin for the Memorial Day Weekend and visited family gravesites in Joplin, Anderson, and Southwest City.

May 25, Waco, TX: The Muskrats attended the fire academy graduation ceremony of Danny Ray Bihl.

May 23, Waco, TX: Bruce served as substitute organist in the morning service of the Calvary Baptist Church.

May 16, Waco, TX: Nancy was the featured speaker in the Acteens Recognition Service at the Columbus Avenue Baptist Church. Among those girls completing Acteen requirements was Ariel Alexander, MK from Argentina. Bruce had the privilege of escorting her into the room, filling in for her father who was out of town on a speaking assignment for the IMB.

May 6-13, Anaheim, CA: Bruce and Nancy flew to the Los Angeles area to spend a week with Nancy's sister and family. Activities included the Crystal Cathedral, the San Juan Capistrano Mission, Huntington Beach, Hollywood, a jazz recital at Cal State Fullerton (directed by Chuck Tumlinson, Nancy's brother-in-law), Sunday morning service at Saddleback Church, and an exciting Little League baseball game in which Nancy's nephew Mark was the winning pitcher!

April 27, Waco, TX: Andy performs the "Malambo" by Alberto Ginastera in a music hour recital at Baylor University.

April 22, Waco, TX: Bruce and Nancy (and Amy) provide program music for the Waco Volunteer Recognition Luncheon. 

April 20, Waco, TX: Andy, along with MK Andrew Shelton, participate in the Men's Chorus concert at Baylor University.

April 16, Waco, TX: Andy performs "Antique" by Maurice Ravel in a music hour recital at Baylor University.

March 8, Waco, TX: The Muskrats attend a piano recital at Baylor University presented by artist-in-residence Krasimira Jordan.

March 7, Waco, TX: The Muskrats attend the Choral Concert at Baylor University.

March 1, Buenos Aires: Bruce and Nancy depart from Argentina for their 6-month stateside assignment in Waco, TX.

February 25, Buenos Aires: Bruce successfully completes the programming for the VPN connection to the Mission office, allowing him to remotely connect, eliminating the need for a temporary treasurer during stateside assignment.

February 13, Waco, TX: It snowed (!!!!) in Waco.

February 8-11, Centenario, Neuquen: Bruce and Nancy relax on a "chacra" with friends Gonzalo and Gladys Igor.

February 5-7, Cipolletti, Río Negro: Bruce and Nancy participate in a gala recital in the municipal cultural center as a part of the "Ríos del Sur" Foundation

January 28, Waco, TX: Sara appears in a local television news report on a new electronic "chalk board" that was put into use in the Midway Schools.

January 17, Buenos Aires: Bruce and Nancy, together with ISC personnel Ralph and Judy Jackson, take visiting Kelly Jensen to the "Wild West Saloon," a very un-Argentine-looking restaurant in Buenos Aires. 

January 3-10, La Falda, Córdoba: Bruce and Nancy participate in the Argentine Mission's Annual Group Meeting (a.k.a. "mission meeting")

January 3-10, Washington, DC: Danny participates in a special seminar for MBA students in the nation's capital.

January 1-3, Aspen, Colorado: Andy and Amy enjoy a mid-winter ski vacation with school friends.

[goto 2003]